The Monster Beneath The Skin
by RadgarEleding
Summary: Dark/Evil Naruto. Two monsters were born within the walls of Konoha on one fateful night. Together they strike out into the world of the elemental nations, one seeking absolution and the other seeking power.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in the Naruto Universe, nor do I ever plan to.

(Beginning A/N)- This is my latest of several attempts at writing a Naruto fanfic, but the first I have decided to upload. I hope you like it, but please be warned that this story will include graphic content. If you can't handle that, I recommend you stop reading now.

I don't intend to use any OCs in this story, though nothing is really set in stone yet. I haven't decided on a main pairing, or if there will even be one. My Naruto will be seriously evil and fucked up. If you're looking for a Canon Naruto, stop reading now, because mine certainly will not be.

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><p>The Monster Beneath The Skin<p>

Ever since he could remember, Naruto Uzumaki had experienced pain. The Hokage had taken care of him for about a month before pawning him off on an orphanage, content to let the boy live as normal a life as he could. Sadly, Naruto's life would be anything but normal. Cruelty and injustice followed him like the plague, the hatred of the weak-minded buffoons of Konoha constantly directed his way.

All of the adults at the orphanage treated him like shit, and so the children followed suit. He was beaten, spit upon, and made to do every disgusting task they could think of.

Naruto's one spot of dull light came at age 7.

On one of his many walks in the back alleys of Konoha, avoiding the hateful glares of the townspeople, Naruto came across a tiny kitten. It was dirty, malnourished, and abandoned. Looking down at the fuzzy mess, the little blond boy felt something he'd never felt before that day: Empathy. He carefully picked the poor little creature up, smiling as it huddled into him for warmth. The kitten looked up at him with its big, green eyes.

"I'll call you... Jade. Sound good to you girl?"

The little fuzzball gently 'mew'd up at him, and the boy took that as a yes.

Over the next few months, the little orphan boy and the littler orphan kitten became the best of friends. Naruto always hated leaving Jade alone, but knew that if anyone were to find her, they would take her away from him. So he left her every day in a little cardboard box behind the orphanage. He always left her with some of his breakfast and brought her some of his dinner before bed.

Things were still the same at the orphanage for Naruto, but with a friend of his own, his outlook on life was changing little by little. That is, until one fateful night.

Naruto had woken up late that day and only just managed to get part of his breakfast to Jade before he was needed for chores. He didn't notice one of the other boys watching quietly from across the way.

Later that night, after dinner, the little boy returned to his best friend's cardboard house behind the orphanage, only to find that she was gone. Jade was -always- waiting for him after dinner. The boy frantically looked around the immediate area, checking in trashcans and behind other boxes.

"Jade? Jade, where are you!"

The boy froze when he heard a soft 'Mew' from down the street. He slowly turned, seeing Jade held by one of the older boys from the orphanage. Several more were gathered around the lead boy, and they all smirked darkly at Naruto.

Plucking up his courage, Naruto shouted towards them. "Give me back my friend!"

They all looked at each other, before the lead boy broke out in laughter. Naruto remembered him as the ringleader who had always initiated the beatings he'd received from the other children. His name was Hiro.

"You want this, _freak?_ Well too bad. _Freaks _like you don't get to have pets. She's ours now, and since she's ours, we can do whatever we want with her."

Naruto started to move forward, but felt himself being restrained. He turned his head to see one boy on each side of him, both of them much bigger than he was and holding him still. In his distress, he hadn't even heard them creep up on him.

Hiro shifted his grip on Jade, holding her with one hand by the scruff of her neck and reaching into his pocket. He drew his other hand out to reveal a small, serrated blade.

Naruto struggled against the boys holding him, screaming for Hiro to stop, begging him not to do it and promising to do whatever they wanted. Hiro ignored him completely, plunging the deadly-sharp blade into the base of the young kitten's neck. Jade howled in pain, before going limp.

Hiro grunted in annoyance. "What, dead already? This thing's no fun." And he tossed the body of Naruto's only friend behind him as if she were trash.

Naruto looked on in horror, not believing what he was seeing. His best friend... His only friend... Killed and discarded as if she were nothing at all. He felt something... Something he'd never truly felt, even after all of the horrible torments he'd been made to endure throughout his life. Rage. A terrible, burning anger that welled up from deep within, filling him with images. He saw himself. He was ripping into these boys as they had just done to his friend. Naruto liked what he saw, and allowed the rage to completely consume him.

A blazing red chakra instantly sprang into being around him, swirling with an intensity that couldn't quite match the hatred burning in Naruto's blood-red eyes. The two boys holding him screamed in agony before they dropped to the ground, dead.

Every ninja in a ten mile radius suddenly stopped and looked towards the orphanage, only to feel themselves break out in a cold sweat. There was no mistaking the feeling of _that_ chakra.

The aura surrounding Naruto peaked as the boy screamed in anguished rage, and then he vanished. The boys across from him blinked, and suddenly he was among them. The few others at Hiro's side didn't even have time to scream before their limbs were unceremoniously ripped from their bodies, the sickening sound of tearing flesh filling the air. Hiro stumbled backwards, holding the knife he still gripped out towards the angry boy.

Naruto slowly stalked forward, staring into Hiro's fearful eyes with his own. The crimson eyes burned with an unholy fire, and Naruto's lips pulled back to reveal his sharp canines. The blond monster blurred forwards again, moving too fast for Hiro's eyes to track.

Hiro blindly tried to lash out with his knife, realizing as he did that his hand was missing. He looked disbelievingly down at the bloody stump where his hand had been a moment ago, before the pain hit him. He screamed in agony, dropping to his knees and cradling his damaged limb to his chest.

The enraged little boy stalked forwards once more, flexing his claws in preparation for the kill, when Hiro spoke.

"Please, stop! Don't hurt me. It... It was a bad joke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Before Hiro could finish his plea for mercy, Naruto lashed out. He cut a deep gash in Hiro's throat, watching on in satisfaction as the boy fell backwards and drowned in his own blood.

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><p>Elsewhere, another red-eyed demon had just finished a massacre of its own. Itachi Uchiha flicked the remaining blood from his sword, sheathing it before deciding to make one last search for survivors. He had already left his brother in a Tsukiyomi-induced coma, and he had to be certain that no one else bearing the name 'Uchiha' survived this night.<p>

Itachi abruptly stopped, whipping his gaze towards a spot in the distance where he could feel the malevolent and terrifying chakra of the Kyuubi pouring out into the night. He had never again expected to feel the instinctual fear that rose to the surface with the emergence of that horrible monster's energy.

Itachi thought for only a moment before changing his plans and dashing towards what was undoubtedly the little blond jinchuuriki of Konoha.

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><p>Naruto looked down at his blood-soaked clothes and hands, not recognizing himself but still too enraged to care. As Hiro's death throes slowly came to a stop, the little blond monster spat on his corpse. As he raised his gaze back to take in his surroundings, he noticed a pair of men in front of him. They were both dressed in black pants and black sleeveless shirts, covered by a dull gray armor. Their faces were hidden behind expressionless porcelain masks, made to resemble animals. The first wore a mask resembling a bear, and the second had a mask which seemed to be a falcon.<p>

Before Naruto could decide how to react to these two new arrivals, Bear whipped his hand forward in a blur of motion, and a kunai was buried in each of Naruto's knees before he could react. The boy-turned-monster howled in pain, ripping the knives out of his damaged kneecaps and watching in fascination as the wounds healed in a matter of seconds.

The masked men also took note of the boy's incredible healing, and as one, they slowly drew the swords strapped to their backs. Even in his enraged state, the little boy realized that if he fought these men he would die. So he blurred into motion, sprinting as quickly as he could in the opposite direction, hoping to outrun them.

Falcon and Bear dashed after him, seeming to have difficulty keeping up, but also managing to alter Naruto's course whenever he would try to turn and change directions. Before long, Naruto found himself backed into a corner with the high village wall at his back, buildings to either side, and the two men directly in front of him. He knew he was cornered, and he flexed his claws as he prepared to fight for his life.

Just as he had decided to try to get in the first strike, a soft grunt filled the air. Bear looked down at his stomach, noticing a long blade protruding from it. With a shove from behind and a quick whistling noise, Bear's masked head tumbled from his shoulders. Falcon jumped to the side, keeping the demonic little boy to his left and the new enemy directly in front of him. He had a fraction of a second to react as the dark-haired man leapt towards him, lashing out with the blade that was still covered in Bear's blood.

The '_clang!_' of steel on steel resounded throughout the alley for a few short moments, before Falcon fell to the ground, his throat cut. The dark-haired man watched the masked man drowning in his own blood for a moment, before thrusting his sword down into Falcon's skull.

As the dark-haired man bent to wipe his sword on Falcon's clothing, Naruto looked on in stunned disbelief. Before he could decide just what to do about this new development, the man rose from his crouch and walked slowly towards the little boy.

Naruto backed up until he felt himself bump into the wall behind him. He raised his head and snarled up at the man, his anger and hatred evident in the crimson slitted eyes of the Kyuubi. As he gazed up into the whirling red eyes of the man before him, a gravelly voice echoed in the night.

"_Sleep._" And Naruto knew no more.

Itachi gazed down at the unconscious blond boy, glad that the demonic chakra he had been exuding was now gone. He didn't want a beacon for the Konoha ANBU to follow, after all. He stooped down, picking up the blood-covered little boy and slinging him over his own blood-covered shoulder. Not looking back, Itachi quickly scaled the wall in front of him and disappeared into the forest surrounding the city.

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><p>( Ending AN)- First chapter of this story. I don't have a beta yet so it's probably a bit rough. I've read plenty of fanfiction over the years, and have come to realize that the Dark/Evil Naruto stories are always my favorites. I don't think there are enough well-written stories that fit into this genre, so I've decided to try my hand at writing one of my own. I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate any comments or criticisms you'd be willing to share.


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